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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. swing — to play on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — ground
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — to come down
  8. wake — a trail
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. suit — in cards
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. swing — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com